TLDR Marketing 2024-04-15

TikTok is reportedly developing a feature that would allow brands to use AI-generated influencers to promote products via videos and live-streams. The tool has been successfully tested and implemented in the Chinese version of TikTok, Douyin, which has seen AI hosts generate substantial sales for brands.

Microsoft has announced the commencement of ad testing within the Start menu on Windows 11, utilizing the Recommended section to propose apps from the Microsoft Store. Restricted to Windows Insiders in the Beta Channel in the US, feedback from testers will determine whether these ads become a permanent fixture in Windows 11. There is an option to turn off the ads in the settings.

Google has temporarily blocked links from local news outlets in California from appearing in search results. This is in response to a bill that would require tech companies to pay publications for links that articles share. The California bill is meant to support the local journalism industry. The change applies only to some people using Google in California, though it's not clear how many.

This article shares cases and experiments to showcase psychological tactics that can increase email effectiveness. By tapping into innate human biases like loss aversion, social proof, scarcity, and curiosity, marketers can create compelling emails that resonate with recipients. Small tweaks like changing a word or two can have a substantial impact on campaign performance.

This guide explains a 3-step B2B copywriting tactic that takes less than 1 minute to apply. First, find job descriptions of the positions your ICP is in, then use the ‘Responsibilities' section as guidance for their top priorities. Turn these into headlines with power words and emotions. B2B buyers never really care about your product - they care about job security. This method helps show prospects why buying your product will help them look good in front of their boss. The guide includes examples of this type of messaging from UserGems, Unbounce, and more.

Engineering as marketing consists of building tools that help generate awareness and acquire new users. This strategy enables brands to diversify from traditional marketing channels and solve more than one use case for your target audience. Engineering as marketing can take several formats, including interactive templates, calculators, and data sets. To do this well, first identify user needs from user interviews, keyword analysis, or support tickets. Build a simple tool that solves a single use case, then promote it across the appropriate channels.

It's important to consider using separate email subdomains within your email program to track and manage reputation without different activities affecting one another. If something happens with your root or subdomain, such as a rise in spam complaints or a big swing in send volume that lands you on a blocklist, they're less likely to affect each other if they're separate. This guide covers scenarios that benefit from an email subdomain, how many you need, and subdomain name ideas and examples.

Listium is a browser-based app that makes it easy to create slick-looking visual lists on any subject. It can be shared publicly or with specific people you choose. You can start from scratch or import items from a spreadsheet. Anyone with the link can access your list and interact with it. There are public lists ranging from the hottest tech items to the best Korean dramas to the top marketing books and resources.

X launched a new offer for brands that are willing to pay to get a gold checkmark in the app, with equal ad credits to be added to accounts that sign up to the program. Any X advertiser that signs up to the Basic Verified Organizations package, which costs $2K a year, will now receive $2K in X ad credits each year. The same goes for the Full Access offering, at $10K per year, which will now give brands $10K in ad credits each year.

With an estimated price range of $30B to $40B, Google's potential HubSpot acquisition will be the largest Alphabet investment yet. The move is a strategic response to shifting dynamics in data privacy and the deprecation of third-party cookies. If the transaction goes through, Google will be able to tap into HubSpot's customer base, including SMBs, while HubSpot would benefit from being integrated into Google's ecosystem.

Fierce buy-now pay-later competition among payment card brands and independent providers is expanding conversion opportunities for merchants. Iconic credit card brands share a crowded stage with cryptocurrencies, digital wallets, and alternative payment schemes, each with their own value proposition and target demographic. Companies like Affirm and Klarna pose a significant threat to incumbent financial institutions by offering an alternative to bank or credit union cards.

“The Oreo Menu” aims to reenvision the internet's ubiquitous three-line “hamburger menu” navigation tool as two stacked Oreo cookies.

Despite minimal marketing spend, F1 experienced a recent surge in popularity and revenue, partly due to its Netflix docuseries Drive to Survive, which ignited organic global interest in the sport.